Ground almonds lend a rich, buttery flavor to baked goods. Also known as almond meal when coarsely ground, ground almonds add a moist, dense texture to cakes, cookies, breads and other baked goods. If you need to use almond meal for baking, you make this from almonds at home so you're sure it's fresh and makes your final product as tasty as possible. Roasting the almonds first enhances their flavor and prevents them from clumping when ground.

Set a skillet over a medium heat. Place the almonds in the skillet in a single layer. Roast them for five minutes on each side, stirring continuously with a spatula to prevent the almonds from burning. Remove the pan from the heat source. Let the almonds cool to room temperature.

Place the almonds in a food processor. Avoid overfilling it with the almonds, as this will prevent them from grinding evenly. Grind the almonds in batches, if necessary.

Run the food processor for approximately two to five minutes or until the almonds are ground to a coarse meal or fine flour, depending on your preference. Do not run the food processor for too long, as the almonds will release oil which converts the almond meal into almond butter.

Remove the ground almonds from the food processor. Pass them through a sifter to separate bits of unground almonds from the fine meal.

Grind any large pieces of almond again in the food processor, or along with your next batch if you plan to grind more almonds. Use the almond flour as desired.

Items you will need

Skillet

Spatula

Food processor

Sifter

Tip

Blanch the almonds, or use blanched almonds, if you want your cakes and cookies to have a light color, as ground whole almonds add a deep brown hue to baked goods.

Warning

Use the ground almond flour or almond meal immediately, as it turns rancid quickly.